1 Games we Play
by BML Hillen-Keene
Summary: Is it possible to destroy a family? completed
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

_Prologue_

Gordon let out a low moan as he banged his arm against something. He felt for it, caught it and held himself steady. He took a deep steadying breath and called out, for what had to be the hundredth time. "Alan!" his voice was raspy and choked, his throat raw.

No answer.

He closed his eyes to the all encompassing darkness, grit his teeth in determination and kept moving. Stoutly pushing the pain back. He couldn't afford to give into it. The silence rang loudly in his ears. He stretched his left arm out, checking the way for obstacles. His foot caught on something and he fell forward, hissing in pain as his knee wrench as his landed and fiery agony shot up his right arm.

He could hear his sweat drip loudly to the ground, but it was soon eclipsed by his ragged breathing. His whole body trembling with the effort Gordon tried to force himself back to his feet, reaching blindly for something to pull himself up with.

Nothing.

He sagged back, breathing heavily, breath hitching occasionally. "Alan! Alan please answer me! Alan!" he called hoarsely. His voice cracked completely when he called his brothers name and he started coughing. He put a hand to his mouth and leaned forward, chocking, chest heaving painfully.

He drew in a ragged breath when the fit had passed, and licked his dry lips. He could taste blood. Not good. Blood was definitely not good. Dizzy and light headed he tried to stand again, but his body refused to obey him. He fell back, letting his right hand slip onto the floor-which was the only reason he felt the strands of hair.

"Alan?" he chocked out quietly. His desperation gave him the strength he needed to scramble closer. He clutched the hair with his right hand and felt the face with his left. He checked for a pulse.

None.

"Alan…" he said, the word a coughing sob as he pulled his dead brother close to him. He had killed his little brother. He had killed his little brother. He had….

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	2. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I own nothing_

_Chapter 1_

Gordon stood, his hands trembling fists by his sides. His amber eyes focused murderously on the red cloaked figure of the Hood through the bars of the cage.

The Hood smiled languidly at him. "Now international Rescue. I believe I have come up with the perfect way to get rid of your pesky organisation."

"Oh, really?" Gordon ground out. He wanted to know where Alan was. They had been captured. Gordon couldn't think how or when or why. But they had been. One minute they were on a rescue the next he was waking up here, in a cage, with the Hood watching him with a smug smile.

The Hood laughed eerily and hit a switch. A screen flickered to life, showing a grainy red image of Alan. Gordon's eyes widened, then narrowed as he looked at the Hood once more. "What is this?" he grit out.

The Hood laughed again. "A game. One which you must play or your associate will die."

Gordon looked at the image of Alan. "What kind of game? What are you talking about?" he snapped, his temper getting the best of him.

"Your associate is in a sealed room with enough air to last him 24 hours. The point of this game, quite simply, is for you to find your associate before the 24 hours is up. If you win I will let you both go free. However, if you don't reach that room and free him within the 24 hours he will die and you will have to live with the knowledge that you killed him." The Hood, grinning like the mad man he was, tossed in a headset. "This is to let you speak to each other. I feel it will be most fitting for you to hear him die."

Gordon caught the headset instinctively, but he was staring in horror at the Hood. Finally he recovered himself enough to say. "Don't I at least get to know where this room is?"

"Oh no, International Rescue, it's all part of the game." The Hood laughed and went to the door.

Gordon gripped the bars. "What about the cage? Or is that part of the game too! Damn you!" he yelled as the lights shut off. The grainy red image of Alan the only light left.

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	3. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I own nothing_

_Chapter 2_

"Gordon?"

The voice brought Gordon back to reality; he quickly put the headset on. "Alan?" he asked.

"Gordon! What's going on? What was that? Gordon?"

"It was the Hood Alan…" he trailed off, staring at the image of his brother. There was a sudden beeping; he looked around wildly before his eyes lit upon a clock. 23 hours and 59 minutes. "It seems the game's on. Hold tight Alan. I'll get you out of there."

He quickly felt in his sash for his lock picks-nothing. He cursed softly and dropped to the ground in search of something he could use.

"Gordon?" Alan's voice wavered. "What's wrong?"

"I'm locked in a cage is what's wrong and my lock picks are gone." Gordon muttered, his eyes narrowed as he strained to see anything.

"You'll be able to get out though? Right?"

Gordon could hear the beginnings of fear creep into Alan's voice. "I'll get out Alan, then I'll get you and we'll blow this joint. The Hood doesn't know who he's dealing with." He kept his tone confident and cheery, fighting the anxiety creeping through him as he began to think he couldn't get out of here… he looked up at the grainy image of Alan and his determination resolved itself firmly. He would get out of here. He would get to Alan. He wouldn't let anything happen to his little brother.

Five minutes later he found a piece of wire, left by the Hood no doubt and he scrambled over to the door. "I'm coming Alan." He murmured as he inserted the wire into the lock.

Vv

"Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!" he cursed as another beep told him another minute was up and his hand slipped.

"You nearly through yet Gordo?"

"Nearly." Gordon said, reinserting the wire.

"You said that ages ago." Alan complained.

"Give me a second Alan, this is a delicate procedure!" he shot back, becoming frustrated with the lock. He had been working at it for forty five minutes straight. His hand slipping with every beep that told him his brother was one minute closer to death. And he couldn't to a damn thing about it! He gave a growl of frustration, stood up and aimed a blind kick at the lock.

"Gordon?"

Another kick.

"Gordon, what are you doing?"

Another kick.

"Gordon!"

Gordon gave an angry cry and kicked the door a last time, and was very surprised to have the door swing open. "I'm out." He said in disbelief. He heard Alan's relieved sigh.

Now free he glanced at the clock as another beep sounded. 23 hours and 8 minutes left. He went to the dimly lit door and wrenched it open.

"Fuck!" he cursed.

"Gordon? Gordon what is it? What's wrong? Gordon!" Alan called, panicked when he got no response from the horror-struck Gordon, who stood staring down at the huge maze below him. He didn't even know where Alan was. He could be anywhere in that maze.

Gordon swallowed thickly. "Nothing wrong here Alan-hang tight. I'm on my way." He forced the laugh at the end as his heart constricted painfully as he hurried down the steps and to the entrance to the maze.

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	4. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I own nothing_

_Chapter 3_

Gordon had been walking for what seemed like hours, on every wall of the maze there was a clock, counting down the minutes. He was keeping an eye out for trouble. There had to be some kind of trap in here, the Hood wouldn't just leave it as a simple maze. Oh no.

"Hey Gordo." Alan suddenly said.

Gordon jumped at the sudden voice, before remembering the headset. He was getting more paranoid as the minutes ticked on, and he had barely been in here an hour. "Yeah Alan?" he asked, hearing his little brother straining to keep from panicking. He felt for him, he really did. He'd be going crazy knowing he was stuck in a sealed room with only 24 hours of air, having to depend on somebody who didn't know where you were to save you. Not that he had exactly told Alan that. but whereas he would probably be climbing the walls at that little bit of knowledge Alan, who took after Scott and Virgil, would keep it all inside. Alan just wasn't quite as practised at it yet.

"What do you reckon the others are doing?"

Gordon had to smile at that. "Looking for us dumbass. What do you think?"

"Do you thing their worried?"

Gordon rolled his eyes. "Most probably. You know how they get."

Alan laughed shortly. "Scott'll be in super stressed mode." He said. "And Virgil-if their home-will be playing the piano, or if their not he'll be humming that really annoying tune. You know the one…"

"Yeah." Gordon said, forcing the cheerfulness into his voice. He came to the end of the walkway, still wary of a trap he slowed. He half listened to Alan rambling; glad he had something to keep him occupied. He peered round the corner, but was taken by complete surprise when a fist slammed into his face, breaking his nose on impact.

Gordon scrambled back, ignoring Alan's calls of "Gordon!" and "What's happening?" he rolled back to his feet and stared at the huge ape of a man towering over him. "Aw Shit!" he groaned as the fist swung again, ducking and dodging to the side.

The fight took a deadly turn minutes later when the man pulled a gun. Gordon didn't even think about what he was doing, all his thoughts focused solely on beating this guy and getting to Alan. So he closed in and grappled for the gun, desperately turning it and pulling the trigger-taking off half the mans face. The man pitched forward, Gordon fell with him-smashing the back of his head off the ground.

Vv

"Gordon! Gordon come on-answer me. Gordo please-come on!" Alan's begging voice finally penetrated the pain filled haze that had descended over him. Gordon forced himself to open his eyes. He groaned.

"Alan?"

"Oh thank god Gordon! I thought you were dead! Gordo are you ok?" the relief in Alan's voice hit him with a rush.

"How long was I out?" he asked, wriggling painfully out from under the dead man, grimacing at all the blood. He put his head in his hands for a moment when he was sitting, biting his lip as the pain hit him furiously.

"I don't know Gordo, but it was ages. I don't know!" Alan said.

Gordon looked at the clock on the wall and his breath caught. "No, no, no!" he whispered.

"What? Gordo what?" Alan asked, the panic in his voice coming through sharply.

Gordon took a deep breath. "Nothing Alan, I'm coming." He took a last look at the clock before taking off at a run, his pain forgotten and pushed aside.

The clock numbers changed again, to show the time remaining as 19 hours and 42 minutes.

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	5. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I own nothing_

_Chapter 4_

"And do you remember that time John got stuck in the tree? That was hilarious!" Alan laughed shortly.

"That was when he tried to save Potato Pie from the tree, right?" Gordon asked, watching the path in front of him carefully-he had one too many cuts and bruises from booby traps earlier. But the clocks were forever reminding him for his need for haste.

"Yeah-Pie was such a cool cat-remember when he clawed grandma's curtains up? Boy was she pissed that day." He laughed again at the memory.

Gordon half listened and offered rare comments. Alan had been recounting old family stories for the last two hours-it was the 'life flashing before your eyes' in slow motion. As much as Gordon would have enjoyed this conversation in a much less dangerous environment, he had to focus all his waning energy on the task before him. When he had bashed his head earlier it had completely disorientated him. His body was tired, having been up almost a whole 24 hours before this on a rescue, and whatever kind of rest he had gotten while unconscious was not helping him any. He was physically and emotionally exhausted, which meant he was walking straight into traps that he could have easily avoided had he been rested.

He stumbled and fell, his ankle twisting. He hissed painfully and grabbed hold of the wall to pull himself up.

"Gordon?"

"I'm fine Alan." Gordon replied, grimacing as he put weight on his ankle. His tiredness showed through and Alan picked up on it immediately.

"Your hurt Gordo-your hurt bad."

"It's a twisted ankle Alan. I'm fine." Gordon said.

"Yeah, but add it to everything else… I'm sorry Gordo…" Alan trailed off quietly.

"For what?" Gordon asked through clenched teeth as he continued on stoutly.

"For everything. For not being with you-God Gordon! Its awful every time I hear something happen, and thinking this could be it, this time you could die, and I wasn't there to help-"

"Shut up Alan!" Gordon snapped, then tried for flippancy. "Besides, I'm the one who should be worried about you."

Alan remained silent for a long time. "How long left Gordon?"

"Don't you have a clock in there?" Gordon asked.

"If I did would I be asking?"

Gordon supposed it was all part of the game, locked in the dark, knowing your going to die, but not knowing how long you had left. That thought made Gordon quicken his pace as he said. "There's plenty of time Alan. Plenty of it."

"Don't bullshit me Gordon! I'm not a baby! How long?"

Gordon winched at his brother's tone. He knew just how much Alan hated being babied. But if his brother didn't know… Gordon didn't want to worry him. He looked at the clock closest to him. "9 hours 6 minutes." He said softly.

He heard Alan take a deep breath. "Yeah-plenty of time. You know where your going, right?"

Gordon had been avoiding this from the beginning. He bit his lip. He had never been a convincing liar, not really. Innocence he could pull off-outright lies… no…

"You don't." Alan said. "Your walking blind. Shit Gordon!"

He was trying so hard to contain his fear. Gordon's heart clenched and he vowed he would kill the Hood when all this was over. But first he had to get to Alan. "I'll find you Alan. I promise I will." He said reverently, quickening his pace.

"I know you will." Alan said, his voice miserable. "But will it be in time?"

Gordon's frustration bubbled over. "Don't say things like that Alan! I will find you! It will be in time! I am not going to let you die!" he didn't know if he was saying it for Alan's benefit or his own. He took a deep ragged breath. "Besides, dad would kill me if I let anything happen to you."

He was straining for his inner calm. But he couldn't reach it. There was too much pressure. He had to get to Alan-he had 9 hours to do it. He didn't know where Alan was-he could be on the other side of the damn maze for all Gordon knew. His mind was in a whirl, anxiety twisted his insides into knots. All he wanted to do was curl up and wish everything away. But he couldn't.

Alan was counting on him.

And Gordon was beginning to think he couldn't do it.

"I'm sorry Gordo." Alan said, cutting through his agonising thoughts. "I know you'll get here on time."

Gordon closed his eyes against the onslaught of tears, stumbled again and fell. He prayed to a god he had stopped believing in when his mother had died that Alan's trust was not misplaced.

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	6. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I own nothing_

_Chapter 5_

Gordon rubbed his eyes tiredly and looked at the clock. 4 hours 23 minutes left, and he didn't know if he was any closer to Alan than he had been at the beginning. He doggedly kept walking. His chest heaved in a cough painfully.

About an hour ago he had stumbled into a trap, he had tripped a wire and before he had the presence of mind to doge he had been hit head on in the chest by a giant log of wood with a metal cap. It had sent him flying backwards and he hadn't been able to move for a long, long time, with the pain.

He knew his ribs were broken, it was only a matter of time until they pierced a lung he knew, but he kept going-he had to reach Alan.

He turned the next corner blindly and was brought up short by a sudden high pitched whine from the headset. He let out an involuntary yelp, which triggered a coughing fit.

"Well, well, international rescue." Came the Hoods goading voice through the headset.

Gordon struggled to regain his breath

"It seems you have found the key to your associate's prison."

"What?" Gordon coughed out, straightening and looking around.

"In the wall directly opposite to you, under the clock there is a hole-do you see it?"

Gordon looked for the clock. "I see it." He rasped.

"Inside that hole is the key that will free your associate. But hurry International Rescue. Time is running out." The laugh that followed melded perfectly with the whine. Then there was nothing but static.

"Gordon? Gordon! What happened? What was that noise?" Alan asked in a rush.

Gordon swallowed. "I'm nearly there." He said, hoping against hope he was right and Alan wasn't on the other side of the maze right now.

He went to the hole and peered in. the key glittered dimly at the back. Gordon looked for traps, but he couldn't see anything. He couldn't take the chance of losing the key. Thoughts of find where Alan was and being unable to free him pushed aside any doubts and he put his hand in. he stretched his arm in to midway between his shoulder and elbow before he touched the key.

His fingers twisted round the thin ribbon/string and he closed his fist around the key and started to pull it out.

Almost instantly the walls of the hole suddenly clamped round his arm tightly-too tightly. Breathing heavily, panicked he tried to pull his arm free. Fiery agony swept through his arm. The clamping pressure released and he pulled his arm again, fingers clenching unmercifully around the key-he wasn't letting go.

It clamped round his arm, crushing his fingers brutally until he released the key-he pulled desperately, straining as the pressure grew more and more. Until suddenly it relaxed and he crashed backwards into the other wall.

He grit his teeth against the agony in his arm and forced his hand to turn. The key dangles from the ribbon, still tangled round his now crushed fingers. He sagged back and let out a laugh-which quickly turned into a coughing fit.

"Gordon? Gordon are you ok? Gordon stop it! Please! Gordon!" Alan cried, panicked.

When he had regained his breath Gordon forced himself to his feet, teeth clenched against the pain. "I'm on my way Alan." He ground out, and started to make his weaving way on wards, key dangling still from his slack fingers. His determination set.

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	7. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I own nothing_

_Chapter 6_

Two hours left!

Two hours left!

Two hours left!

The panic was setting in. every walkway looked the same. The clocks counted down the minutes. Two hours. He had two hours to find Alan. Two hours.

Gordon's head was spinning wildly, his arm throbbed, his ribs protected with every breath. He couldn't think straight. His only thought was for Alan. He had to get to his brother. He had to find his brother… he had to…

His vision faded to black momentarily. He caught the wall as he fell and stood for a minute, gathering his strength. He took a deep breath and pushed off from the wall and started walking again.

He turned the next corner and started down it, letting his instincts guide him.

If he hadn't been nearly dead on his feet he would have noticed the walls were devoid of clocks.

He was getting closer.

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	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I own nothing_

_Chapter 7_

"Alan?" Gordon rasped out.

"Yeah Gordo?" Alan asked, his voice tired, breath short.

"You ok?" he looked around, searching for the clocks-nothing.

"As well as can be expected." He coughed lightly. "I'm tired; its getting way too warm in here and the air tastes very stale." He sighed. "How long left Gordo?"

"I don't know." Gordon whispered. "I don't know-I can't see a clock."

He leaned against the wall for a moment. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen a clock. He didn't know how much time was left. Alan's laboured breathing in his ears told him he didn't have long-but how long? How long did he have?

He opened his left hand, which was clenched into a fist around the key and looked at it.

"Gordo…" Alan murmured. "Please Hurry. I don't wanna die in here."

Gordon pushed off the wall and stared down the walkway-he had to be close, he just had to be. The fear in his brother's voice channelled all his fast waning energy and he broke into a run, ignoring his own pain. The only sound he could hear was Alan's breathing.

In.

Out

In

Out

Gordon didn't know how much time had passed; he just kept going, not allowing himself to stop. But Alan's voice cut sharply across his concentration.

"G… Gordo…" choked. "C... can't breathe… Gordo…"

Gordon faltered, chest heaving, his eyes wide, the word 'No' chanted in his head as he heard Alan's breathing getting slower, more ragged, more choked. He was about to take off again when he saw a side way, he looked down it. It was long, narrow, overgrown with evil looking plants. But right down there he thought he could see a door.

He couldn't let the chance that this could be it slip. He hurried into the tunnel. The branches snapped as he walked, his feet slipped, the ground coated in some kind of slime. The going was slow-too slow.

"G… Gordo… i… I love you… remember… tell da… dad and the… the others… i… you… it wasn't your fault…"

"No! No Alan! I'm coming! I'm nearly there! Alan please!" Gordon cried.

"Not your fault Gordo…" Alan said faintly.

"ALAN!" Gordon tried to run, but his foot slipped and he went sprawling, the headset slipped off his head. Gordon scrambled back to his feet desperately and towards the door, as quickly as he could.

He slammed to a stop at it and jerkily tried to get the key into the lock. It wouldn't go in! His panic was getting the better of him. His little brother was in there dying. This had to work, it had to go in! It just had to!

"TIME UP!" The hoods voice rang throughout the cavern-like maze. "YOU LOSE INTERNATIONAL RESCUE!"

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	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I own nothing_

_Chapter 8_

"Nononononononononononononononononononononononononononononononono…" Gordon muttered breathlessly, still trying to get the key in. finally it slid in. he turned it until it clicked and he pulled the heavy door open desperately. "Alan?" he called, taking his first step into the dark prison he hoped his brother was in.

He felt his way in blindly, the light didn't penetrate the blackness surrounding him. "Alan! Alan please! Alan I'm here! I made it Alan!"

He went in deeper, hoping he was right. His heart constricting almost to the point of bursting.

X

Gordon let out a low moan as he banged his arm against something. He felt for it, caught it and held himself steady. He took a deep steadying breath and called out, for what had to be the hundredth time. "Alan!" his voice was raspy and choked, his throat raw.

No answer.

He closed his eyes to the all encompassing darkness, grit his teeth in determination and kept moving. Stoutly pushing the pain back. He couldn't afford to give into it. The silence rang loudly in his ears. He stretched his left arm out, checking the way for obstacles. His foot caught on something and he fell forward, hissing in pain as his knee wrench as his landed and fiery agony shot up his right arm.

He could hear his sweat drip loudly to the ground, but it was soon eclipsed by his ragged breathing. His whole body trembling with the effort Gordon tried to force himself back to his feet, reaching blindly for something to pull himself up with.

Nothing.

He sagged back, breathing heavily, breath hitching occasionally. "Alan! Alan please answer me! Alan!" he called hoarsely. His voice cracked completely when he called his brothers name and he started coughing. He put a hand to his mouth and leaned forward, chocking, chest heaving painfully.

He drew in a ragged breath when the fit had passed, and licked his dry lips. He could taste blood. Not good. Blood was definitely not good. Dizzy and light headed he tried to stand again, but his body refused to obey him. He fell back, letting his right hand slip onto the floor-which was the only reason he felt the strands of hair.

"Alan?" he chocked out quietly. His desperation gave him the strength he needed to scramble closer. He clutched the hair with his right hand and felt the face with his left. He checked for a pulse.

None.

"Alan…" he said, the word a coughing sob as he pulled his dead brother close to him. He had killed his little brother. He had killed his little brother. He had….

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	10. Epilogue

_Disclaimer: I own nothing_

_Epilogue_

Gordon knew nothing but the feel of his brother's dead body clasped in his arms as he rocked gently. Tears streaming down his face, his voice cracked and broken as he repeated "I'm sorry." Over and over in the dark silence.

He didn't hear the voices calling his name. Didn't see the lights of two torches dance across the floor. Didn't feel the hand gently touching his face.

He had killed his little brother.

He hadn't arrived in time.

"I'm sorry." He said as a fresh well of tears came from nowhere to escape down his cheeks. Sobs ripped his crumpled form, bring the choking coughs, bringing the blood.

"Virgil! We need to make him let go of Alan. Virgil! Please-we need to do this or we'll lose them!"

Movement.

Gordon felt Alan being pulled from his arms.

"No!" he screamed, trying to get him back. Strong arms wrapped round him, pulling him back. "No!" he coughed-triggering another coughing fit. Suddenly he couldn't breath.

"Gordon! Gordon calm down! Gordon! Virgil-what about Alan? Gordon-Gordo please-its us Gordo!"

"Scott-Scot, Alan's-"

Gordon's body gave up and he slipped into nothingness.

Into eternal darkness.

Destined to suffer for eternity.

Because he had killed his little brother.

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